Day 1: 1 John 3:18-20
18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 19 And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him 20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything…
Day 1, 1 John 3:18-20 // Kids say the craziest things. Children are very black and white in their thinking, and they tend to think out loud as they try to learn about the world around them. I have four kids and the amount of times I have been embarrassed by their innocent but direct speech is many. But even though their bluntness might be harsh sometimes, they don’t have the lens of bias in which to see the world like we do. Instead they take their black and white concepts of the world and respond, honestly, probably more like what Jesus wants from us anyway.
As adults, we see a need or problem and we go through 857 thoughts, judgements, perceptions before we move to action. We overthink, generally from selfish motives or self-righteousness. We sometimes choose to not act out what God’s Word is calling us to do because we find some reason why we should not.
We live in a large city, and homelessness is everywhere we look. The first time we explained homelessness to our kids, their first reaction was, “Okay, well let's buy them a house.” They had no care for how the person became homeless or what type of person they were, they genuinely wanted to help. Since we can’t actually buy people houses, they decided to meet their other needs. Of their own volition, they made care packages filled with food and toiletries to keep in the car for whenever we saw someone in need. Mind you, they were 7 years old and younger. Their hearts are filled with the love of God without yet being filled with the judgment of the world, so they took the truth and lived it out, no second guessing.
And while there is a point for discernment, most of the times we can “discern" ourselves out of simple situations that have simple solutions. Many times we know the truth that should prompt our action, but we don’t necessarily want to because it might be uncomfortable or take extra effort. But today, be aware of your surroundings and situations. Don’t decide to “pray about something” that is clearly a black and white issue to the Lord, something He has already given explicit instruction to in His Word. Just go out there and live it out.
Today’s prayer //
“God, You have given me Your Word as a light to my path.
As a way to know which way to go and what actions to take.
You hold no favoritism in Your heart,
But love sacrificially all of Your children.
I pray that I can choose to live out this truth,
To give of myself for the benefit of others,
Especially to know Your goodness.
Direct my steps today.
Thank You for walking with me.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
-written by @KatesConcepts
